Metal recovering machine



E. J. OHMAN' METAL RECOVERING MACHINE Dec. 19, 1950 4 Sheefis-Sheet 1 Filed May 14, 1946 ATTORN EYS WITNESS E. J. OHMAN METAL RECOVERING MACHINE Dec. 19, 1950 Filed may 14, 1946 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS WiTNESS Patented Dec. 19, 1950 UNI ED S ATES ?ATEN I E METAL RECOVERING MACHINE Eric J, Ohman, Anchorage, Territory of Alaska Application May 14, 1946, Serial No. 689,644

1 Claim.

The present invention relates to improvements in machines for recovering metals from ores and more particularly for the recovery of precious metals such as gold.

An object of the invention is to provide a metal recovery machine of generally improved contruc on- Another object of the invention is the provision of a metal recovery machine which is highly effective in separating metal from the gangue of i A further object of the invention is to provide a machine of the aforesaid character which is relatively rapid and efficient in operation.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the description pro- $6555 ;n the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification and in which like numerals are employed to designate corresponding parts throughout:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of the machine having parts thereof broken away to illustrate the interior construction,

Figure 2 is a fragmentary longitudinal section taken on line 2--2 of Figure 3,

Figure 3 is a front end elevational view of the ch ne,

Figure 4 is a fragmentary rear elevational View as viewed from line 44 of Figure 2,,

Figure 5 is a vertical sectional view taken on ne 5-5 of Figure 1 Figure 6 is a fragmentary sectional view taken n l ne oi e Figure 7 is an end elevational view of the machine casing,

Figure '8 is a bottom plan view of the same,

Figure 9 is a horizontal sectional view taken on line 9-9 of Figure 2 showing pulverizing means added thereto,

Figure 10 is a side elevational view of a feed chute,

Figure 11 is a bottom plan view of a sluice member,

Figure 12 is a bottom plan view of the main hopper,

Figure '13 is a side elevational view of an auxiliary detachable reducer fitting,

Figure 14 is a side elevational view of an auxiliary hopper, and c Figure 15 is a fragmentary top plan view of a conveying chute.

Referring to the drawings, wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown a preferred example of the invention, designates each of four frame uprights supported on horizontal bottom skids 2|, constituting the main framework of the machine. At an elevated position on the frame uprights'is secured a casing composed of top and bottom sections 22 and 23, respectively, detachably'as sembled by flange connections 23 and having a funnel shaped bottom 24 embodying sloping walls merging into a central flange 25 of annular form. Theend walls of the top and bottom sections 22 and 23, respectively, are provided with circular openings 26.

Extending horizontally through the casing sections 22 and 23 with the ends projecting outwardly of the openings 36 thereof is a cylindrical perforated barrel 21 forming an upper receiving hopper provided, adjacent each end, with an internal flange 28 bearing against the end walls of the casing sections and, at corresponding positions, with relatively narrow inwardly directed end flanges 29. On an intermediate portion of the barrel 21 is mounted an annular V-shaped deflecting ring 39 over the intermediate portion of which'is securely mounted an exteriorly toothed annular gear 3|. This barrel is rotatably supported on the frame by means of rollers {52, mounted on rectangular shaped vertical brackets 33 fastened to the frame, and engaging the projecting end portions of the barrel.

Trained over the gear 3! and engaging the teeth thereof is an endless drive chain 34 extended laterally to engage a sprocket Wheel 35 secured on an elevated rotary shaft 36 journaled horizontally in bearing brackets 31. This chain is also trained over a lower sprocket wheel 38 fastened on a transversely extending shaft 33 journaled in bearing brackets 48 fastened to the frame uprights 2l]. H

At one end of the cylindrical member 2'! is mounted a horizontally disposed endless conveyor 4| operable over a roller 42 and having mounted on the frame thereof a transversely extending rod 43. To this conveyor frame is attached one end of a feed chute 44 provided, at its inner end, with bearing apertures 45 and arcuate slots 46 in the opposed side walls thereof. The shaft 47 of the conveyor roller 42 is journaled in the frame and driven by gear connection with the drive shaft 36 and extends through the apertures 45 for pivotally supporting the chute 44 while the endprojections of the rod 43 engage the slots 46 and threadedly receive nuts 48 on the end portions for securing the chute at desired inclination for feeding material into the barrel.

To a cross bar 49 at each side'of the frame is connected, by pivot shafts 50, the inner ends of a pair of sluice frames which are designed to assume a downwardly inclined outwardly directed position. Each of these two frames 5I is provided, at its inner portion, with a carrier bottom 52 and side boards 53 arranged vertically at each side thereof. The outer end of one frame 5! is pivotally connected, by pivot bolts 54, with the outer slotted ends of an extension sluice 55, at the front of the frame. This latter sluice is designed to direct material onto a transversely extending endless conveyor 55 adjustably supported in vertically inclined position by connection with the frame of the slotted extension 5! of the opposite side sluice 5L The inner roller 58 of the conveyor 56 is secured on a transverse shaft 5% rotatably journaled in bearing brackets 50 on the frame, this shaft having a bevel gear 6i fixed on one end disposed to mesh with a complementary bevel gear 62 secured on the lower end of a vertical shaft 63 journaled in brackets 6 on the frame. At the upper end of the shaft 63 is secured a bevel gear 35 in mesh with a complementary bevel gear 68 secured on one end of the transverse shaft 39. This latter shaft has fixed, on the intermediate portion thereof, a toothed sprocket wheel 6'! over which is trained an endless drive chain 58 connecting the shaft 39 with the shaft 69 of an electric drive motor iii, mounted on a lateral extension II of the frame.

On the opposite end of the shaft 39 is secured a bevel gear I2 in mesh with a complementary bevel gear I3 on one end of a horizontal stub shaft is journaled in a bearing sleeve '65. This stub shaft drives, through the medium of bevel gears 76, a rotary socket journaled in a bearing sleeve TI mounted at the end of the barrel on a bracket I8 and in longitudinally opposed relation to a bearing sleeve it on a bracket 30 fastened to the opposed end of the frame. This drive connection is designed to releasably engage a shaft 3i carrying, at longitudinally spaced intervals thereon, a plurality of concavo-convex disks 82 which may be removably disposed to extend through the lower portion of the barrel.

Within the upper portion of the barrel 2! is extended a horizontally mounted pipe 83 making connection at one end with a source of fluid supply, this pipe having longitudinally spaced apertures 34 designed to form sprinkler jets.

To the funnel shaped casing bottom 24 is connected a cylindrical depending apron 85 fastened by vertically extending brackets 35 providing a lower hopper. To the lower portion of this apron is detachably connected a reducer fitting 87 having a cylindrical top flange 88 fastened circumferentially about the lower portion of the apron 8-5 by bayonet slot connections having a funnel shaped bottom wall tapering to a bottom outlet boss 39 of substantially reduced diameter. In the fitting 87 is supported a circular hopper 90 comprising an upper flaring section 9! merging into a lower abruptly tapered section 92 which terminates in a flanged outlet 93 which is exteriorly screw threaded. This hopper is supported concentrically of the apron 85 on the reducer fitting and spaced therefrom through the medium of a plurality of angular approximately -shaped support brackets 94, shown to advantage at Figure 2. A flanged pan 95 is adapted for threaded connection with the outlet 93. When treating ores of a particular character this assembly is modified by fastening, with bayonet slot and pin connections to the flange 89 of the reducer an auxiliary reducer fitting 96 similar to the fitting 8'! but of a reduced size. Below this fitting is supported, by depending bars 51, an auxiliary hopper 98 having an exteriorly threaded outlet 99 normally covered by a flanged pan I90.

To the pins on the flange 89 may be connected the inner annular head portion IIlI of an inclined and tapered chute I02, the purpose of which will be hereinafter described.

To the funnel shaped bottom structure 24 of the casing is fastened a horizontally arranged spider frame I03 having a central aperture in which is journaled a tubular vertically disposed shaft I64 having fastened on its upper end a bevel gear I05 in mesh with a bevel pinion I05 fixed on the inner end of a transversely disposed rotary shaft IIl'I, driven through the medium of intermeshing bevel gears I08 and I09. The gear I09 is fixed On the lower end of a stub shaft H0 having driving connection with the transverse shaft 39 through intermeshing bevel gears III and H2. On the lower portion of the tubular shaft iihi is fastened a horizontally disposed plate I I3 apertured for connection thereto of a plurality of stirring elements Ii [I5 and H6. These elements may be composed of rods having inner portions depending from the plate I I3 and formed so that the element I I5 extends straight downward to revolve within the center outlet of the hopper 90 while the element II4 is bent to provide an upturned finger disposed to revolve exteriorly of and immediately adjacent the funnel outlet 25. The third stirring element I I6 is bent to form an angular upwardly inclined stirring finger arranged to revolve adjacent the walls of the hopper 99.

When the auxiliary attachments are mounted on the machine an extension shaft I I! is secured in vertical arrangement with its upper portion fitted in and secured to the shaft I04 and carries on its lower portion a horizontal plate IIS having attached thereto a plurality of stirring elements IIfi shaped in accordance with the elements H4, H5 and IIS but of reduced size, for rotation in the auxiliary hopper 98 and its outlet 99.

The machine operates as follows:

For treating sand or gravel metal containing ore the apparatus is employed in the arrangement shown at Figures 1 and 2,the ore being delivered to the machine on the elevated conveyor M from whence it is discharged onto the chute M which conducts it onto the center portion of the revolving barrel 2?. At this point the material is wetted by water or other liquid sprinkled from the pipe 83, the large solid particles of ore, such as boulders and the like, are worked to the ends of the barrel and carried, through the medium of the sluices 5!; onto the waste conveyor 56 which carries the same to a dumping station.

The finer particles of the ore, pulverized by the rotation of the barrel, drop through the perforations therein and flow through the funnel bottom 24 and the outlet 25 thereof into the hopper at where the wetted ore is subjected to agitation and stirring by the revolving finger elements. The lighter gangue-of the ore, that is, the material of relatively low specific gravity, is floated over the top of the hopper and washed downwardly between the same and the skirt and funnel members and 81, constituting the tailings of the ore which are carried away by the chute I132. The heavier metallic particles separated and concentrated in the hopper settle into the bottom outlet portion and in the pan 95 attached to the hopper and are recovered by periodically removing and emptying this pan.

When treating clay ore, the disk carrying shaft BI and the auxiliary funnel and hopper structures are attached to the machine so that the rotating disks 82 facilitate the pulverization of the ore in the rotary barrel while the agitation and stirring of the slime is repeated, after passage through the hopper 99, in the auxiliary hopper 99 to facilitate separation of the metallic particles from the more tenaciously clinging clay angue.

Thus, my improved machine thoroughly agitates the ore to effectively concentrate and recover metals, and more especially precious metals, from the gangue and is designed to eifect such concentration and recovery rapidly and with the utmost efiiciency.

It is to be understood that the form of my invention herewith shown and described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same and that various changes relative to the material, size, shape and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claim.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

In a fine gold recovering machine concentrator, the combination which comprises an upper receiving hopper having a cylindrical wall with a conical shaped section at the lower end and with a cylindrical band depending from the lower part of the said conical shaped section, a lower hopper having a cylindrical wall carried by and extended downwardly from the said depending band of the upper hopper, an auxiliary hopper having a conical shaped wall with a horizontally disposed lower end and having a cylindrical neck depending from the center of the said lower end, a pan providing a closure removably secured to the lower end of the neck of the auxiliary hopper, a funnel shaped feed chute having a depending cylindrical wall positioned in the upper end of the upper hopper, a vertically disposed centrally positioned shaft extended upwardly through the said upper and lower hopper and feed chute and into the said auxiliary hopper, an agitating finger carried by the shaft, extended outwardly and upwardly and spaced from the inner surface of the wall of the said upper hopper, a U-shaped finger carried by the shaft and extended around the depending cylindrical wall of the feed chute, an agitating finger also carried by the shaft and positioned to travel around the inner surface of the cylindrical band of the upper hopper, and corresponding agitating elements also carried by the shaft and positioned to coact with the inner Wall surface of the auxiliary hopper and outer and inner surfaces of the cylindrical wall of the lower hopper.

ERIC J. OHMAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 357,852 Paramore Feb. 15, 1887 448,319 Clement-Conti Mar. 17, 1891 534,196 Carlson Feb. 12, 1895 788,737 Swarts May 2, 1905 823,577 Baldwin June 19, 1906 946,759 King Jan. 10, 1910 1,006,649 Gilbert Oct. 24, 1911 1,078,819 Bartholomar Nov. 18, 1913 1,121,537 Robinson Dec. 15, 1914 1,241,954 Furtado Oct. 2, 1917 1,478,761 Rousseau Dec. 25, 1923 1,595,621 Robbins Aug. 10, 1926 2,022,303 Toothaker et al. Nov. 26, 1935 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 10,037 Great Britain May 26, 1892 

